1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to loudspeaker systems configured for use with wall-mounted flat panel displays such as video screens, and more particularly to wall mountable full range high fidelity loudspeaker enclosures having a low profile.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Modern flat-panel televisions and other video displays that are designed to be mounted on walls typically have very low-profile, ultra-thin screens, some of which may project away from the surface of a wall on which it is mounted by less than two inches. Traditional loudspeaker systems that are often used with such display devices to provide enhanced sound quality, are very much like traditional high fidelity loudspeaker systems. A high-fidelity loudspeaker system should be able to reproduce recorded music or soundtrack signals over a usefully broad frequency range at satisfying loudness levels with low distortion.
Typical observations made by a layperson when first encountering high quality audio reproduction are that the sound is “clean” (meaning undistorted and accurately reproduced in rich detail) and “loud” (meaning that the sound pressure level of the playback approaches the sound pressure level (“SPL”) of the reproduced performance or event). When used in a home theater setting,
High fidelity loudspeaker systems are typically relatively large and bulky, since large cabinet or enclosure volumes provide greater efficiency and bass extension, among other benefits. If a traditional high fidelity loudspeaker system is mounted on a wall, the speaker protrudes or projects away from its wall mount a considerable distance and as a consequence appears aesthetically displeasing and out of place, particularly when attached on the wall near a video display.
Part of the problem with traditional loudspeaker system designs arises from using enclosures having dynamic loudspeaker drivers, where the largest driver's component parts are aligned along a central axis, coaxially with a voice coil in such a way that the driver motor structure projects back from the front of the loudspeaker enclosure by a significant depth. In addition, the interior volume of the enclosure and its wall thicknesses add to its front-to-back thickness, producing a very thick, deep or high profile loudspeaker system. Although such loudspeaker systems perform well acoustically, they do not match the sleek appearance of modern “flat panel” video displays. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved low-profile panel loudspeaker system that combines the aesthetics of a thin flat-panel video display with the loud, clear high fidelity performance of a conventional large, high-profile speaker system.